Andrew Gale: It was ice cold at Edgbaston but we’re not in bad shape for Notts

Andrew Gale

Published:06:00Saturday 30 April 2016

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A LOT of the talk this week has been about the unseasonably cold weather with snow in late April and our game against Warwickshire at Edgbaston represented a first for me – the first time that I have ever been snowed off on a cricket fi

Previously, I can only remember one pre-season game seven or eight years ago when it snowed and we carried on playing as we needed some cricket before the start of the season.

But I have got to say, I have never had it as cold as we did over four days in Birmingham this week...

I had about eight layers on and I was surprised that Rash could bowl the ball, never mind spin it!

It is definitely nowhere near summer yet. And if we had rocked up for a County Championship game on Friday at Headingley, then the pitch would have been covered in snow.

The cold weather can cause problems for a captain and it is obviously not easy getting the right type of practice too. We were back indoors on Friday and it felt like January again.

We obviously drew our second County Championship game against Warwickshire and while we know we haven’t been playing our best cricket, by no means are we playing bad cricket.

We are playing well in patches and it is about piecing together a perfect game, if you like.

But it is never easy when you are on and off all the time with the weather and it’s only three or four degrees.

But we know the areas where we need to improve and are working hard to do that.

As for the game, we decided to have a toss and bat first on Sunday on what looked a good pitch at Edgbaston.

The pitch actually got better as the game went on, so maybe in hindsight bowling first would have been a better option.

But from being 60-4, to scrape out 370 was a good effort and I thought that Gary Ballance and Jack Leaning’s partnership was vital and then Patto played a fantastic gutsy innings to get us in a good position.

But the pitch flattened out as the sun came out, although it was still bitterly cold and when we lost Ryan earlier to injury when we were bowling, then it was always going to be tough with just three seamers.

Ryan is struggling and I would be surprised if he plays in the next two or three weeks, which is a blow.

Now it is onto Trent Bridge, where we start our four-dayer against Nottinghamshire tomorrow and it has been a good hunting ground for me in the past and is one of my favourite grounds.

I have always played some good cricket there, as we have as a team as well. Fortunately, for us after a few games, no-one has really pulled away from the pack at the top of the Division One table and got a couple of wins on the board yet.

If we can get a win on the board, then it puts us right up there in early season.

Obviously, Joe Root plays for us in the County Championship for the first time since the title winning game, also at Trent Bridge, at the end of the 2014 season and it is great to have a guy of his ability available and he is right at the top of his game at the minute.

He’s a fantastic addition and it is also great to have him around and we are looking forward to having him in our squad.

We have had a few interesting selection decisions with Joe being available. But I have always said that if you are going to win trophies, then you need a strong squad.

Someone will miss out and be very unfortunate, but Rooty is back for a couple of games and in the greater scheme of things, it is only a couple of games and whoever misses out will probably be straight back in and if they can stay in form in the next few weeks, they will be back in there.

The game at Nottinghamshire will also give me chance to meet up with a good friend of mine in James Taylor for the first time following his unfortunate news that he has been forced to retire due to a serious heart condition.

I have been texting him quite a bit and hopefully I will see him at Trent Bridge at some stage and catch up with him for a chat.